View source for 3rd East Anglian Regiment

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{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= 3rd East Anglian Regiment
|image=
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|dates= 2 June 1958 – 1 September 1964
|country= {{flag|United Kingdom}}
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|branch= {{army|United Kingdom}}
|type= [[Infantry]]
|role= [[Line infantry]]
|size= [[Battalion]]
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|motto=
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<!-- Commanders -->
|commander1=[[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]]
|commander1_label=Colonel-in-Chief
|commander2=
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The '''3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th/44th Foot)''' was an [[infantry]] [[regiment]] of the [[British Army]], formed as part of the short-lived [[East Anglian Brigade]].

==History==
As a result of the [[1957 Defence White Paper|1957 Defence Review]], the 1st Battalion, [[Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment]] and the 1st Battalion, [[Essex Regiment]] amalgamated on 2 June 1958 to form the '''3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th/44th Foot)'''.<ref>Army Order 35/1958</ref>

From its inception, the 3rd East Anglians were based in [[Dortmund]], West Germany, the home of the Essex Regiment prior to amalgamation.<ref name=bau>{{cite web|url=http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/infantry/east-anglian-regiment.html|title=East Anglian Regiment|publisher=British Army units 1945 on|access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref> In 1959, the regiment was posted to [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]] shortly before the [[Malayan Emergency|state of emergency]] there was declared over.<ref name=bau/> The regiment served with [[28th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|28 Commonwealth Brigade]] until 1962, when it was posted to [[Northern Ireland]].<ref name=bau/>

The regiment's brief existence came to an end when it amalgamated with three other battalions of the [[East Anglian Brigade]] on 1 September 1964, to form one of the new [[large regiment|'large' regiments]], the [[Royal Anglian Regiment]]; The 3rd East Anglian Regiment became the 3rd Battalion (16th/44th Foot).<ref name=bau/>

==Badges and dress distinctions==
The regiment's badge consisted of a [[French Imperial Eagle|Napoleonic eagle]] enclosed within the [[Order of the Garter|Garter]], combining elements of the insignia of the two merging units. The Garter had formed part of the badge adopted by the then Bedfordshire Regiment in 1898, while the Napoleonic eagle was the collar badge of the Essex Regiment from 1947.<ref>AL Kipling and HL King, ''Head-dress badges of the British Army'', Volume I, London 1979</ref><ref>Colin Churchill, ''History of the Britiah Army Infantry Collar Badge'', Uckfield, 2001</ref> The eagle of the French 62nd Regiment was captured by one of the regiment's predecessors at the [[Battle of Salamanca]] in 1812.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalanglianmuseum.org.uk/tour6.html |title=The Salamanca Eagle |publisher=Royal Anglian Regiment Museum |access-date=9 September 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123192002/http://www.royalanglianmuseum.org.uk/tour6.html |archive-date=23 January 2011}}</ref>

The eagle and garter badge appeared in the centre of the [[Military colours|colours]] presented to the 1st battalion on 30 May 1959.<ref>Eric Hamiltion, ''Bulletin of the Military Historical Society, Special Issue No.1: Colours of the regular army infantry of the line, 1st July 1881 to 1958'', London, 1968</ref>

A common cap badge and buttons were worn by all regular battalions of the [[East Anglian Brigade]] from 1958. The 3rd East Anglian Regiment's uniform was distinguished by eagle and garter collar badges and by the wearing of a lanyard of pompadour purple. The purple lanyard had been worn by the Essex Regiment, having originally been the facing colour of the [[56th Regiment of Foot]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalanglianmuseum.org.uk/symbols.html |title=Symbols and Badges |publisher=Royal Anglian Regiment Museum |access-date=9 September 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905205611/http://www.royalanglianmuseum.org.uk/symbols.html |archive-date=5 September 2008}}</ref> The regiment also had a distinctive [[stable belt]], black with purple stripes edged in amber, a combination of those of the two constituents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stablebelts.co.uk/3rdeastanglian.html|title=3rd East Anglian Regiment |publisher=Stable belts|access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref>

The collar badges and lanyard of the 3rd East Anglians continued to be worn by the 3rd battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment after the 1964 amalgamation. Since 1992, when the battalion was disbanded, all parts of the Royal Anglians wear a gold eagle on a purple backing as an arm badge.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ams.mod.uk/content/docs/jsp336/3rd_ed/vol12/pt3/pam15/s6ac.doc  |title=Special Arm Badges |publisher=Ministry of Defence |access-date=9 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609235752/http://www.ams.mod.uk/content/docs/jsp336/3rd_ed/vol12/pt3/pam15/s6ac.doc |archive-date=2007-06-09 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Alliances==
The regiment's alliances included:
*{{AUS}} 11th/44th Infantry Battalion (The City of Perth Regiment)—Australia (1958–1964)
*{{AUS}} 16th Infantry Battalion(The Cameron Highlanders of Western Australia)—Australia (1936 - 1960)
*{{CAN}} [[The Essex and Kent Scottish]]—Canada (1958–1964)
*{{SAF}} The First City Regiment—South Africa (1958–1961)

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box|
  before=[[Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment]] <br /> [[Essex Regiment]]  |
  title= 3rd East Anglian Regiment |
  years= 1959&ndash;1964 |
  after= [[Royal Anglian Regiment]]
}}
{{S-end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Royal Anglian Regiment}}

[[Category:Infantry regiments of the British Army|East Anglian]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1958]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1964]]
[[Category:1958 establishments in the United Kingdom]]